Happy Holidays!
Women Employed (WE) has always made it our business to crash ceilings and break down the barriers that keep working women from obtaining economic security. And as we head into our 50th anniversary in 2023, we have a lot to be proud of. Over the past year, WE has made great strides in our work to SMASH THE STATUS QUO—shaping change for millions of women across Illinois, allowing for them to pursue better careers and gain necessary benefits to support themselves and their families.
We are building new pathways to success for women so more of us can thrive—whether that means advocating for better laws and policies, providing thought leadership on the path forward, engaging in public education to make sure we all know our rights and are empowered to demand they are respected, or building programs that help more women succeed.
But we could not do this transformational work without the kindness and generosity of supporters like YOU. Thank you!
As we close out 2022, we are proud of the work we have done and look forward to creating more impactful change in 2023. We are also grateful to have you here with us for another year as part of the Women Employed family. Let us celebrate this incredible work by looking back over some of our accomplishments over the past year. And may they inspire you to search for new ways to Smash the Status Quo in your own lives.
Happy Holidays,
From all of us here at Women Employed
P.S. You can read about even more victories in our recently-released 2022 Impact Report!
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Read Our Intersecting Barriers Research Report |
Economic security and jobs with family-sustaining wages are key for enabling survivors of domestic violence to access safety and healing. But in order to achieve those things, we must understand the most pressing economic and employment needs of survivors and how we can better meet them.
With support from the Michael Reese Health Trust, Women Employed is leading a project to improve how domestic violence survivors are connected with services that attach them to meaningful employment and build economic independence. We conducted original research, filling a knowledge gap on the economic barriers facing Chicagoland survivors. Our report, Intersecting Barriers: Challenges to Economic Empowerment for Domestic Violence Survivors, provides recommendations to address those barriers and support promising practices.
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| College is expensive. In Illinois, one way we have helped students and families afford college is by advocating for the Monetary Award Program (MAP), an Illinois need-based financial aid program. Reducing tuition costs will allow even more students—especially low-income and Black and Latina/x women—to access education without incurring debt. This year, we won an additional $122 million for MAP, which will increase the average grant by 30 percent and allow it to serve approximately 15,000 new students.
This increase is a step in the right direction toward building Illinois’ workforce, strengthening our tax base, and helping students achieve their dreams on the way to a more sustainable economic recovery.
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Hailed as “a milestone in the #MeToo movement,” the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act was signed into law on March 3, 2022. The law, which was first introduced by Congresswoman Cheri Bustos, grants essential protection to hundreds of thousands of individuals who experience sexual assault and harassment and were previously subject to an arbitration clause in any contract—immediately voiding that clause. This law allows sexual assault and harassment survivors to pursue the legal remedy that works best for them.
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On October 6th, Women Employed President and CEO Cherita Ellens and Congresswoman Cheri Bustos hosted a conversation about how this victory restores power to survivors of sexual assault and sexual harassment, and provides survivors the opportunity to seek justice and public accountability in the light of day. Joined by Tanuja Gupta, technologist, activist, and lead organizer of the Global Google Walkout in 2018; and Carrie Ward, CEO of Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault (ICASA), guests learned about what this new law means, how it impacts all of us, and how it enhances our rights to pursue justice.
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Women's Entrepreneurship Hub |
This year we laid the groundwork for an innovative approach to empowering women—and particularly Black and Latina/x women—to access the resources and information they need to start and grow businesses. Our Women’s Entrepreneurship Hub (WE Hub) is a revolutionary, free tool to empower more Illinois women to improve their financial security, build their wealth, and achieve their own vision of success through entrepreneurship.
Through the WE Hub, WE empowers women entrepreneurs by:
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Gathering valuable resources from trusted partners throughout Illinois in one convenient place.
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Providing a supportive environment for women to connect and share experiences.
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Raising awareness about opportunities for grants, loans, and other timely capital-raising opportunities.
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Creating curated and personalized toolkits and workplans to make the entrepreneurial journey easier.
We are thrilled to launch this initiative so more women can build wealth and freedom through entrepreneurship!
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Women Employed believes that influencing employer practices to create strong cultures in which women can thrive is a critical strategy to achieving our mission to increase the economic status of women and remove barriers to economic equity.
That’s why we are thrilled to have launched WE Consulting earlier this year. WE Consulting is a suite of services to help companies build a culture of inclusion and belonging. WE are committed to using our decades of expertise to support employers as they work to build equitable workplace practices for the women in their organization. Our approach and lens are particularly focused at the intersection of gender and race.
Are you a decisionmaker in your company or organization? Let us help you take paper to practice, and practice to culture by providing a tailored approach that addresses your unique needs to include trainings, workshops, and more consultative custom services to facilitate work toward building an inclusive and welcoming work environment.
Find out more at womenemployed.org/weconsulting. And read our white paper on “Building Workplaces Where Women Can Thrive.”
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Full and Fair Wage Coalition |
Did you know that employers can pay tipped employees less than the minimum wage in all but eight states? The hourly minimum wage for tipped workers is just $2.13 federally and $7.20 in Illinois. Eliminating the subminimum wage is a critical priority in our work to advance gender and racial justice. Women—particularly Women of Color—are disproportionately likely to be tipped workers and vulnerable to sexual harassment and poverty.
This year, WE helped launch the Illinois Full and Fair Wage Coalition as part of our work to advocate for more equitable working conditions for women—starting with eliminating the subminimum wage for tipped workers so they can earn a full and fair wage with tips on top. As co-leader of the coalition with One Fair Wage, we strategize with advocates and workers across the state, organize meetings with decision-makers and policy folks, and host events to center the voices of working people. We cannot advance racial justice, gender equity, and workplace safety without eliminating the subminimum wage for tipped workers—and you can help make it happen!
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Raising Awareness About Equal Pay Rights in Illinois |
You have the right to fair pay. In the U.S., when looking at both full- and part-time workers, women are paid, on average, just 77 cents to a man’s dollar. And if you’re a Black or Latina/x woman, you are likely to be paid even less. Pay discrimination is not just unfair—it’s against the law. But when we asked working women in Illinois, we found that 4 out of 5 did not know about their equal pay rights!
Knowledge is power! The first step is to know your rights to equal pay and pay transparency. And to learn what you can do if your rights have been violated.
The Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL) was one of six states and territories awarded the U.S. Department of Labor’s Women’s Bureau Fostering Access, Rights and Equity (FARE) Grant, which helps women workers who earn low wages learn about and access their employment rights and benefits.
Women Employed is proud to join IDOL as a lead partner—working with Arise Chicago, Man-Tra-Con Corporation, Shriver Center on Poverty Law, and YWCA Quad Cities—on the Illinois FARE Grant project, which raises awareness of pay equity and pay transparency standards among women workers, particularly low-paid Women of Color.
Visit womenemployed.org/fairpay to download equal pay tip sheets in English, Spanish, and Polish to get all the information you need about your equal pay rights. Then share that information with the women in your life so that they know their rights, too!
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“She Says” with Kate Everson |
When long-time Women Employed (WE) supporter Kate Everson completed undergrad with a degree in journalism, she had no idea that a career pivot would lead her to WE. Following a year and a half of working as an Associate Editor for a diversity and inclusion magazine, Kate felt the call from corporate America to do more diversity and inclusion work—an opportunity that would prove to shape her future.
And in 2016, while searching for ways to expand her network, Kate found herself at a Women Employed mixer and after learning more about the organization, was sold on WE’s mission. Since then, Kate has become the Co-Chair of Women Employed’s Advocacy Council, a group of volunteers that lend their passion, time, and expertise to friendraise and fundraise on behalf of WE, and was recently elected to the Board of Directors as a Board Fellow. Kate encourages people to support the organization not just because of WE’s work in pay equity, but because they “look at the most in need first.”
In this month’s “She Says,” Kate Everson discusses what she loves most about Women Employed, how WE’s work supports everyone, and where she sees the future of the organization.
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Chicago Women's Mayoral Forum 2023 |
Chicagoans want to know where the Chicago mayoral candidates stand on issues important to women—reproductive rights, public safety, affordable housing, clean air and water, equity in the workplace and our paychecks, healthcare, education and more.
Chicago is our city and we care deeply about it. Together we must make sure that our women's agenda is every candidate's agenda.
Please join us as WE co-sponsor the Chicago Women Take Action Alliance for the 2023 Women's Mayoral Forum on January 14, 2023, from 2:00 p.m.—4:00 p.m. at the Chicago Temple.
Seating is limited and tickets are free but must be reserved.
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Join The Next Advocacy Council Meeting |
| The Advocacy Council is WE's volunteer group that meets to mobilize, advocate, inform, "friendraise", and fundraise to advance the movement for women's economic equality.
The next meeting will be held on Wednesday, January 18 from 5:30 p.m.—7 p.m. and registration is required. For more information, contact Michelle Schwartz, Senior Events and Volunteer Manager at mschwartz@womenemployed.org.
To RSVP, click the button below.
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Register for the 9th Annual Chicago Cider Summit |
We’re excited to announce that Women Employed has been selected as the non-profit beneficiary of the 9th annual Chicago Cider Summit Festival!
The summit is the region’s largest hard cider tasting event, featuring local, regional, and international mead, cider cocktails, apple spirits, and more. Mark your calendars for Saturday, February 4th and join us at Navy Pier’s Aon Grand Ballroom as we taste, toast, and celebrate the launch of WE’s 50th Anniversary Year!
Saturday, February 4th
Session One: 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Session Two: 4 – 8 p.m.
Aon Grand Ballroom, Navy Pier
Purchase Tickets: Get your tickets today and use promo code WEx2 at checkout to double the Cider Summit’s donation to Women Employed: https://www.cidersummitnw.com/tickets-2
Questions? If you have questions or are interested in volunteering with Women Employed at the summit, please email Michelle Schwartz, WE Senior Events and Volunteer Manager at mschwartz@womenemployed.org.
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The State Journal Register |
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